Continued 'efficiency' on offense, more 'explosions' would help Pitt in final stretch

The word that might best describe Pitt’s victory against Notre Dame is “efficient.”

That’s how the school’s news release accurately labeled it Saturday night. After some anxious moments in the first half and a 30-30 tie early in the second, there was little doubt Pitt was destined to defeat the slumping Irish.

Coach Jeff Capel used the same adjective when discussing Blake Hinson’s 17 points. Hinson attempted only seven shots, all but one a 3-pointer. He was 4 of 6 from beyond the arc and 5 of 7 at the free-throw line.

Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry was in a somber mood after the Irish’s losing streak reached six while referring to Pitt’s offense as “explosive.” Again, accurate, if on the low end of explosive. Pitt’s scoring average, actually, fell to 75.6 after the 16th game of 22 in which the Panthers reached 70 points.

The encouraging aspect of the game for Pitt (14-8, 5-6 ACC) was how Hinson reacted to the Notre Dame’s double-teaming defense that repeatedly ran him off the 3-point arc. He didn’t try his first shot until more than 10 minutes into the game and didn’t score from the field until hitting a 3 with 1:18 left in the first half. Then, he hit another one 55 seconds later.

Capel was impressed that Hinson did not get “frustrated” or “rushed,” especially in the second half.

He hit two more 3s after halftime to help Pitt’s lead to grow as high as 17 points.

Hinson is accustomed to defensive pressure, and he remarked that “somebody’s open” when that happens. But he also committed a season-high four turnovers.

“(I) try not to turn it over, which I did four times,” he said.

That was the chief team-wide problem Saturday. Pitt committed 12 turnovers, five in the final 10 minutes. It was the most in nine games and the seventh time in the past eight that Pitt reached double digits in that category.

The Panthers had a bit of an issue with Notre Dame’s full-court press late in the game, a point on the game video that N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts might find interesting.

The Wolfpack (15-7, 7-4) are next up for the Panthers, who travel to Raleigh, N.C., on Wednesday. N.C. State is a historically difficult opponent for the Panthers, who have won only once at PNC Arena (last season) in the past 10 years. Pitt has won the past two against the Wolfpack, but before the 2022 victory, Pitt had lost 12 in a row. If you want to take it all the way back to 1948, Pitt is 4-21 against N.C. State.

Capel has no interest in such trivia, but he will make an issue of the turnovers, the slow start and how well Pitt has played on the road this season.

Pitt is 4-2 away from the Pete, still the second-best record in the ACC. Capel made the point last week that bonding on the road during the recent three-game swing — Monopoly games in the hotel, meals together — helped players grow as a team.

There are nine games left on the regular-season schedule, plus at least one in the ACC Tournament. The mathematics say Pitt can reach 20 victories for the second consecutive season, something that hasn’t happened to Pitt basketball since the winters of 2013 and 2014.

Continued “efficiency” would help, but winning is never easy. Pitt also needs the kind of “explosions” that led to 16 3-pointers at West Virginia and the upset of Duke last month.